National Republican., 1887-07-26
J FOUR DECISIONS
by tho Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion at Yesterdays Session.

sion at Yesterdays Session.
The interstate commerce commission de-
livered It's opinion yesterday afternoon in
four Of the cases recently brought before IL.
The cases, entitled Louis Larrison against
the Grand Trunk Railroad Company and
the Michigan Central Railroad Company
against the. Grand Trunk Railroad Company,
were, by consent OF the parties, heard to-
gether. The charge is unjust discrimina-
tlon. Larrison complains that the road
would not sell him thousand-mile ticket
at the prlc, paid by commercial travellers,
and the Michigan Central Company com
plains that the Grand Trunk Company
was selling to commercial travellers at
lower rates than to the public generally.
The defendants admit the facts as
charged, but AYERS that nothing alleged Is
in conflict with the law.
The decision says: Persons belonging to
the class known as commercial travellers are
not privileged to ride over railroads at
lower rates than are paid by other persons.
Whatever reasonable rates commercial
travellers are made to pay other travellers
may be made to pay. To charge one more
than the other Is unjust discrimination.
And this is true whether tickets issued are
The refusal Of the defendant, the Chicago
and Grand Trunk Railway Company, to
cell the complainant, arrlson, thou
sand mile ticket for 500, the price at which
said company was selling such tickets to
commercial travellers, and the neglect to
publish rates at which defendant was Offer
Ing to sell mileage tickets, were all in con-
flict with the tact TO regulate commerce."
Opinion by Mr.. Commissioner Morrison,
all concurring.
| Grocers against the Missouri Pacific EN-.
bodies complaint that, while commuta-
| tion tickets are sold at rates which would
amount to not more than $15 for thousand
miles, the thousand mile tickets upon
which commercial travellers travel are not
sold for less than S25. The commission Is
also asked TO order and direct that a dis
elimination be made In favor Of commercial
| travellers; In short, that thousand mile
tickets be sold to them at lower rates than
to others. The commission does not regard
the fact that commutation tickets are put on
sale at given rate, to be one that entities
the purchaser Of mileage ticket to com
| plain Of unjust discrimination II charged q
higher rate. The circumstances and CON.
ditlons," the opinion says, are not the same
The commission finds nothing in the testi
mony submitted going to show that the
charge of SOS for q rhousand-mile ticket ID
unreasonable. In respect to the order II IL
requested to make In favor OF commercial
travellers, the opinion says:
The case Of the Burton Stock Car Com
pany against number Of railroad com
panies embodies complaint Of unjust dis
elimination in that the companies pay tc
each other three-quarters Of a cent q milf
for the use of borrowed cars, but refuse Il
to pay mileage for the Burton cars; alec
complaint that the higher rate charged Il
shippers Of live stock by the Burton car
than to those shipping by ordinary cars II
unjust and unreasonable.
Upon the first point the commission says
GAS is well known freight cars belonging
to the different railroad companies through
out the land are to large extent used In
terchangeably. or course II the cars OF ,
carrier are used as much away from hom,
as 1t uses the cars Of other roads on its line
the monthly payments for car service will
be offset by, the amounts received.
"The Burton Stock Car Company does no
receive and use the cars belonging to Other
carriers, and there is no possible mutually
in this respect such as exists between car
riers exchanging cars In the ordinary way
The Burton Stock Car Company Is In M
sense connecting line entitled to equa
facilities for interchange Of traffic. The
fact that carriers interchange cars with on
another in the manner and on the term
|
ant to claim that is unjustly Disseminated
against by refusal to pay It the same rat
which carriers adopt as the basis IN adjust
ing their car service accounts with eacl
other. Nor ia any ground appa
rent upon which such payment can be or
dered by this commission"
Upon the other point the commission
says: "The extra charge, provided for In II
western classification is justified by th
carriers upon the ground that the cars hav
to be taken empty to the point where the
ought to be loaded or returned empt
from the point where they are un
loaded, while ordinary cattle cars ar
more susceptible Of being loaded 4
both directions and are often so loaded Il
sion that the expense of hauling complain
ants cars in one direction unloaded, as com
pared with the greater ability to load bacl
| the ordinary cattle cars In use by the dc
PENDANTS and the fact that large percent
age Of the ordinary cattle cars are so back
loaded upon the long hauls of tn
western. roads, Is consideratio
which justiaes difference In charg
against shippers who prefer t
hire the improved stock cars for the trans
portstion OF their live stock. Finding tha
the charges last above stated are unreasor
able, although we are strongly impresse
with the belief that such may be the cast
These suggestions are commended to th
immediate attention of the western classif
cation committee, and the case is retaine
by the commission for future considerable
upon the last above question"
Opinion by Mr.. Commissioner Walker
all concurring. The second case of the s
Louis grocers against the Missouri Pacif
Railroad Company, complaining that til
difference charged upon less than car loa
shipments, as compared with full car load
is too great, has not yet been decided, a
parties having assented to q postponemel
to give the New York people an opport,
nifty to put in IKE complaints .s, against 9TH
can be stated that five complaints Of tn
nature against the western trunk line
were received from New York to-day, br
as they had not been verified, as require
by the commission, they were returne,
The question involved will not be taken u